In Native American culture the Medicine Bowl is the place where ideas are nurtured, the future is held and growth is accomplished.
You are welcome to drop by anytime and listen to the ramblings of therapist, audio author and grandmother Jan Yoxall. Don't forget to leave your comments - the Cafe is open 24 hours a day.

Whenever I feel unwell and nothing I try seems to work, it is always to High Touch® Jin Shin Acupressure that I turn. It is simple, I can do it anywhere and it always helps me to feel better. I remember years ago, after open gall bladder surgery, I was in hospital feeling very low and very scared. Then I remembered that I had taken my little High Touch® Jin Shin Self-Help book into the hospital with me. I sat by my bedside for hours, holding various fingers and acupressure points all over my body - much to the amusement of the nurses and doctors, but I desperately needed to do something for myself. From that point on, I felt stronger, less vulnerable, my spirits lifted and I began to heal. Following my recovery, I started to teach some of these simple techniques in one-day introductory workshops. High Touch® Jin Shin is a wonderful self-help tool which I can't recommend highly enough and I notice myself doing it without even thinking about it.

Do you ever find yourself holding the fingers of one hand with the fingers of the other? Do you ever sit with your fingers on your forehead, deep in thought? This is ancient knowledge......a form of self-healing that we instinctively know on some deep level but have long-forgotten.

The following technique is known in High Touch® Jin Shin as The Central Harmonizer. You can do this lying down or even in the bath and it will leave you feeling calm and balanced. I plan to re-introduce these one-day workshops over the coming months, so please send me your contact details if you'd like to be advised of the schedule.

The Central Harmoniser(Copyright Betsy Ruth Dayton.M.Ed.)

Step 1: Right hand on top of head (crown)

(It should remain there until Step 8)

Left middle finger on third eye, between eye brows, a little above.

Step 2: Left middle finger on tip of nose.

Step 3: Left middle finger in "v" of throat

Step 4: Left fingers on sternum, at the centre between the breasts (heart))

Step 5: Left middle finger at base of sternum (solar plexus)

Step 6: Left middle finger on umbilicus

Step 7: Left middle finger on centre of pubic bone

Step 8: Right hand (palm side or back of hand) on coccyx

(Left hand remains on pubic bone)

Hold each position for a minimum of 2-3 minutes or until you feel a pulsation in both sets of fingers. Ideally for 3-5 minutes.

FUNCTIONS

Step 1: Harmonises blood pressure; nervous conditions; revitalises ;

brain; dissipates senility; supports pineal and pituitary glands; hold for insomnia or when you have no ambition.

Step 2: Supports pituitary gland; influences rejuvenation and reproduction of cells and life (both partners hold when having difficulty conceiving.)

I find the easiest place to do this is in bed, first thing in the morning. It is definitely worth setting the alarm to wake you 20-25 minutes earlier than usual to prepare you for the day ahead. I also support my right arm with a pillow to avoid any strain on the muscles.

Notice how your breathing changes as you work your way through the steps.

You can apply this technique at any time of the day, whenever your energy is flagging. It will give a "tune-up" to your whole being and energise the life source.

The Central Harmonizer is sourced from "An Introduction to High Touch® Jin Shin for Self-Help" by Betsy Ruth Dayton M.Ed. This booklet and additional materials are available from the High Touch® Network. See links below.

Remember this thought, next time you are feeling anxious or stressed. Your breath is your ultimate tool.

Just allow yourself to be as you are, go into your breath, then accept the gift that is being given to you with each inhalation. If you encircle your left thumb with your right hand whilst you do this, you will be balancing your spleen and stomach, the organs which are associated with worry. Change hands and hold the other thumb in the same way and you will find yourself becoming calm and relaxed.

As I mentioned on the re-opening of the Medicine Bowl Cafe, I have decided to condense most of my ramblings and scribbles into this one blogsite - at least the ones I think may be of interest and/or help to some of you. The following review was written a few years back and circulated in my client newsletter but I think it's worthy of posting here not only from the point of view of Lost Bird's story but also to honour the courage and spirituality of the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota nations.

A few years back, I stood on a hilltop with the sacred cottonwood trees far below me alongside Wounded Knee Creek, South Dakota. It was a sunny day and there was a tranquil warm breeze on my face. I was standing alone before a grave marked "Lost Bird" with tears streaming down my face. Our Guide, Serle Chapman had told us, with care and respect, the story of the Wounded Knee Massacre before we arrived there but he couldn't have prepared us for the emotions we would feel at the top of that hill, overlooking the river where so many men, women and children were slaughtered.

All the emotions I felt on that day returned to me when I started to read "Lost Bird of Wounded Knee" by Renee Sansom Flood. Renee has a foot in each camp, so to speak, as she is a white woman married to a Dakota man and has an Indian child. She has spent years researching Lost Bird's story and her book is the haunting account of the young Indian girl's short tragic life.

Lost Bird was found as an infant, after a four-day blizzard, under the frozen body of her dead mother at Wounded Knee. She was kidnapped by a man who was to become the future Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Leonard Colby, who then adopted her as a "living curio" and exploited her in order to attract prominent tribes as clients of his law practice. Renee Sansom Flood traces the short life of Lost Bird, who was only 29 when she died and tracks down her sad, sunken grave to a place in California. Her description of the scene at Lost Bird's exhumation in California and subsequent re-burial at Wounded Knee is heart-wrenching yet tender, as Chief Arvol Looking Horse and The Wounded Knee Survivor's Association painstakingly bring Lost Bird back to her homeland, to be buried with her relatives.
It was all the more poignant for me because I had the honour of being invited with my companions to meet Chief Arvol Looking Horse, so as the scene unfolds around the graveside, I can 'see' clearly Arvol's huge frame, tenderly taking care of the things that needed to be done in the Lakota way to bring Lost Bird home.

Arvol is the 19th Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Pipe of the Lakota, Dakota & Nakota Great Sioux Nation. To be invited to visit him in his home was a huge privilege and only possible because of the great respect held by the Lakota people for our tour guide, Award-winning writer, photographer and historian Serle Chapman. Arvol was given the heavy responsibility of the C'anupa (the Sacred Pipe) at the age of 12 and has spent his life working towards World Peace. His home is a humble caravan set amidst green meadows heavy with the smell of sweet meadow grass and wild sage, silent except for the sweet song of the meadowlarks and the neighing of the horses as they play freely together. All his visitors are received here in this over-crowded caravan which has an 'extension' to provide extra room. We were warmly welcomed by Arvol who offered us coffee before we sat down to listen to his words.
He spoke with us about how people misuse their energy instead of putting it to good use. He spoke about the sacredness of their ceremonies and implored us to pray for all humanity and practice forgiveness and "letting go". He spoke about the importance of loving others even though they do wrong. I don't have the vocabulary to describe how deeply that visit to his small, cramped caravan affected us all. I knew that as Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe, Arvol carries the heavy responsibility of travelling the world promoting peace, so it seemed unreal that we were sitting here on the floor of his caravan, drinking coffee with him, hoping to remember every word he quietly spoke.

As our visit was coming to an end, a group of students arrived for their appointment with him. Instead of ushering us out, we were invited to shake hands with one another and sit together, wherever we could find a small space, on chairs and on the floor so he could proudly show us a video about the Legend of the White Buffalo Calf Woman.

So as I read Renee Sansom Flood's account of Lost Birds' return to her homeland, I can picture clearly in my mind's eye Arvol's huge frame and feel his gentle words in my heart..............

We need a great healing

And we need a Great Forgiving

But healing can't begin without forgiveness.

We must forgive each other,

Forgive our loved ones,

Forgive our friends

Forgive our enemies

Forgive ourselves

We need to pray even for a person who has done us wrong!

In our Tiospaye, our family

when two people fight

they are made brothers or sisters.

Forgiveness itself is a powerful medicine.

We need forgiveness to create Peace!

He-c'e-tu-yelo!

(So Be It)

A while after I wrote this review, I was talking to someone who tours America frequently. I asked if he had been to South Dakota and he told me how disgusted he was with 'the state of the place' at Wounded Knee. The memorial wasn't how he thought it should look. He mentioned the graffiti he saw everywhere and the stalls on the surrounding roads selling hand-made wares. I could feel the anger rising up inside me "Was that ALL he could see?" Then I was reminded of Arvol's words on Forgiveness. He couldn't possibly know the poverty that these proud people live in. He hadn't heard the whispered stories of their lost generation, couldn't possibly know the raw heartache that still exists among the people who, yes, are trying to make a living and save enough for the gas bottles which will keep their families warm in their trailers during the vicious South Dakota winters. One woman told me how 17 people lived in her trailer, too many to sleep inside, so some had to sleep in their cars. Yes, there is a huge alcohol and drug problem and the sense of hopelessness felt by the younger generation is evident. Unemployment and illness, in particular diabetes is a huge problem. Serle Chapman is doing an exemplary job in raising people's awareness of their plight, so that they see more than just graffiti, more than the beaten up cars on the reservation. So they can take a peek into the hearts of these proud people. I was hoping Barack Obama would make a difference to the indigenous nations, I hope it's a work in progress but if it is, it isn't happening quickly enough.

Finally, my purpose is not promote Go Native America here, but I truly believe that their integrity is second to none so if you want to see into the hearts, minds and daily lives of these wonderful people, there are no better guides than Serle Chapman and Wilmer (Stampede) Mesteth. You will take home with you so much more than a few necklaces and dreamcatchers.

If you decide to visit Wounded Knee independently on your travels, please be respectful and gentle to the sellers who may approach you to buy their wares and remember their struggle to keep warm in the bitter cold South Dakota winters. I expect you're thinking "Why doesn't the US Government help them?"

I know the answer to that one.

Lost Bird of Wounded Knee - Spirit of the Dakota is published by Da Capo Press,

Thursday, 22 September 2011

This is an updated version of a blog I wrote last year - one which I have decided to update and repost because I am hearing from people just how much coming to a DreamBoard Workshop helped them to focus on "the music inside them" and achieve more than they had could possibly have imagined. You could too.......

I am among the millions of fans of Dr Wayne Dyer. He never fails to uplift me with his wisdom and warmth. When I received a copy of his film "The Shift" which I ordered from Hay House, I watched the whole film 4 TIMES on that first day. I have never done that with any other film and I have watched it even more since.

His message of "Don't Die With Your Music Still In You" hit home hard to me as I was rushed by ambulance into hospital at the beginning of last year. The pain was excruciating - I instinctively knew that it was serious and that I was bleeding internally. The morphine didn't seem to be working - only the gas and air gave me relief and allowed me to slip away into darkness. I could hear the voices of my husband and son, as if they were miles away and I heard myself chanting "Om Namah Shivaya" over and over until I felt something being placed into my hand. I heard my son telling me it was his Angel Stone - the one he carries everywhere with him. The darkness was inviting, I just wanted to drop deeper into it then I heard him say "You are the strongest person I know Mum, stay with us" and I realised that I wasn't ready to leave this beautiful planet - or my family - just yet. I was approaching 60 years of age yet there were still so many things I wanted to do - so much MORE music left in me. I prayed to God to let me stay - the kidneys in Chinese Medicine are linked to FEAR (False Evidence which Appears Real) and I realised that my whole life has been plagued with fear - fear of loss, fear of not being good enough - fear of success - fear of rejection - the list is endless. As I surfaced from the darkness into the pain again, I promised God that I would release my fears and finish what I came to this planet to do. There is Music Still In Me, my years working as a Therapist taught me so much about the freedom of forgiveness, how the archaic wounds of our past can colour not only our own future but also the future of our children. If we don't do the work on ourselves, which is an essential part of achieving inner peace, it means our children will probably have to do it in their lifetime. Working on ourselves is, quite possibly, the greatest gift we can offer to our children.The hospital discovered that I had severe internal bleeding from an Angiomyolipoma, a benign tumour on the kidney which had spontaneously ruptured. It is, apparently, very rare. I said flippantly "Well, I guess that means I can't go to India then" and the consultants told me that if the tumour hadn't ruptured when it did, it would have certainly ruptured on take-off with possibly lethal consequences. I know that the Angels were looking after me - they weren't going to let me die with My Music Still In Me.

I wrote this post early in 2010 on another blog but am sharing it again in the Medicine Bowl Cafe because we ALL have Music Still In Us. Music that can make a difference in the world, if only we can let go of our fears and perceptions of what we can and cannot do. We all have something we are really good at, something we love doing and we don't serve humanity by pretending we are not good enough to do it. I still have Music In Me and although illness over the last year or so made it difficult to connect with, I know I am getting closer to it now. If it wasn't for the illness, I would never have heard the message the Universe was trying so hard for me to hear. I have always believed that sometimes the healing is in having the illness and now that has been my experience. So I'd like to ask you:-

What Music is Still Inside You?

Is there something you love doing? Something you get lost in, which makes time seem to fly by?

Could doing what you love make a difference to someone's life?

Could doing what you love bring you financial abundance if only you let go of the fear that someone else is better than you?

I'd love to hear what Music is Still Inside You. If you're not sure what that is I have something in the pipeline that may help you. Watch this space!

Saturday, 17 September 2011

Hi folks

Taking a break from stringing our wonderful organic, home-grown runner beans to welcome you back to the Medicine Bowl cafe. They smell divine, I wish we had smelly-net - or perhaps not!

I'll be condensing my other blogs into this one from now on because I am now up to 3 and failing miserably at keeping them up to date. How DO these expert daily bloggers find the time! I promise to try and fill the Cafe with interesting stuff to inspire you, or to make you smile, or to make you cry. Please drop by regularly and join in with your comments if you wish to.

From my Spanish retreat, I hope to be adding some of the rambles I have written over the years in my client's Medicine Bowl newsletter plus some daft poems that I've written which surprisingly, people seem to like.